We're glad you are now a University of Maryland University College student, one of the several hundred thousand men and women who have chosen to continue their education with UMUC in Asia. We want to share our pride in our University with you, by telling you something about UMUC, and about what being a student in UMUC Asia will mean to you.

1. The University System of Maryland is a highly regarded, nationally ranked state university system. It is one of the largest in the United States, offering a wide range of programs leading to many different degrees. A number of its academic departments and faculty rank among the best in the nation.

   Tracing its roots to the establishment of the first dental school in the U.S. in 1807, the University System of Maryland now includes eleven degree-granting institutions. University of Maryland University College, headquartered in Adelphi, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., provides university courses and programs for adult students in the state of Maryland, in Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia, and overseas in Europe and Asia. UMUC Asia is a major component of University of Maryland University College.




2. UMUC Asia enjoys a high reputation in Asia and throughout the world because it provides courses and programs that are equivalent to those offered stateside. This means that students have to put in time and effort to earn their grades and degrees just like their fellow students in the States. They can be sure that their UMUC Asia courses and degrees measure up in the eyes of university admission officers and future employers.



3. UMUC Asia at a Glance:

   

   1956	year first courses were offered
   50,000	enrollments annually
   60	locations throughout Asia and the Pacific
   9	countries and dependencies
   600	associate degrees awarded annually
   500	baccalaureate degrees awarded annually
   2,900	courses offered annually
   12,000	volumes in library holdings

UMUC is one of the leading U.S. colleges and universities in the field of "distance education" (DE)--courses conducted via the Internet. UMUC Asia has its own DE program, and UMUC Asia students may also take DE courses offered by UMUC Europe as well as courses from UMUC at Adelphi, Maryland.

DE courses are computer-based, with instruction and class discussions carried out via the Internet. The DE program is designed to make courses available to those students who cannot easily attend "live" courses due to scheduling conflicts or lack of availability of a wide range of courses at their installations.

In DE courses, students must be prepared to assume even more of the responsibility for their learning than is the case in "live" courses. For example, in distance education courses, faculty and students do not gather together at a given time and place. This means that students must assume greater responsibility for reviewing, organizing, and mastering the subject material presented in the course, as well as for the timely submission of required assignments. For self-motivated students and for those who enjoy learning on their own, distance education courses are intellectually stimulating and personally enjoyable.

Ask your Field Representative for more information about how to take advantage of UMUC's DE programs.

UMUC Asia DE | UMUC Stateside DE | UMUC European DE

Now that you have enrolled in the UMUC program, you may be wondering what being a Maryland student is going to be like. As a student with UMUC you can expect:

1. That your UMUC Asia faculty member will be academically qualified to teach the course in which you are enrolled. Because all faculty meet rigorous standards set by the respective academic departments of UMUC, no one is approved to teach in Asia who could not be approved to teach with UMUC in the United States. Don't be shy. Ask your teachers about their academic backgrounds. When you do, you will understand what UMUC requires of its faculty to ensure quality in the classroom.



2. That all UMUC Asia faculty members will have been thoroughly briefed before they step into the classroom. It is virtually certain, for example, that a senior UMUC administrator, usually the Area Director and/or Academic Director, personally interviewed your teacher before he/she was appointed.



3. That UMUC Asia will provide various forms of academic support to its faculty. Professional materials, orientation sessions, class visits by UMUC staff, faculty meetings, and faculty development workshops are some of the means of support we make available. (Faculty who teach distance education (DE) courses have taken extensive WebTycho training, and have taught a pilot DE course observed or "shadowed" by a veteran DE faculty member. Support for DE faculty is continuously available.) An important example is the UMUC Asia Library, a professional collection of thousands of books, journals, slides, films, video tapes, and other instructional aids. All of these materials have been recommended by UMUC faculty and are available to them for their courses, along with a rapidly expanding array of electronic library resources available to both faculty and students.



4. That your teacher will begin his or her course by explaining clearly what will be covered in each class, what work you will have to do, and how that work will be graded. To ensure that this is understood completely, faculty are expected to provide a course syllabus at the start of registration for each term.



5. That for each three-semester-hour course you will receive 48 classroom hours of instruction, which is more than at many colleges in the United States. UMUC knows how important faculty-student interaction is to learning and therefore requires that all classes meet for their fully scheduled time. Furthermore, because you must plan your life carefully to enroll in university courses, UMUC strives to avoid changes to the announced schedules.



6. You can expect to be able to speak to a Maryland administrator whenever you have a question, compliment, or complaint, or when you need advice. UMUC administrators will visit your installation frequently, often coming into your class to introduce themselves and respond to questions. And of course you can always telephone the UMUC Asia headquarters at Yokota and talk directly to the appropriate office, or communicate by e-mail.



7. You can expect complete, accurate information about your academic status and your progress toward certificates and degrees. The UMUC Asia Office of Student Affairs exists to keep track of your academic records and to provide you with evaluations and advice. Professional Academic Advisors visit Education Centers periodically to meet with you in person and are always available to help you via letter or telephone.

Thus, with UMUC you should indeed have certain expectations about the education the University provides. But along with the expectations go responsibilities, a set of attitudes and commitments that you must have toward your role in the educational process.

Being a Maryland student means that you have to meet some expectations, too. For example:

1. The University expects you to be serious about learning. UMUC would rather not have you enroll if you are looking for a “free ride.” The faculty do not “water down” courses because you attend class after a full working day. Most American college students today are, like yourself, part-time students who hold jobs. Nevertheless, American universities have renewed their emphasis on academic quality. UMUC shares this concern and is proud of its standards.



2. UMUC Asia faculty expect you to work hard in their courses. In practical terms this means that two hours of preparation and study outside of class will probably be necessary for each hour in class. Unless you are prepared to make this commitment, you probably won’t do well in a Maryland course. Thus, be careful about telling a UMUC faculty member, “I don’t have time to study for your course.” We ask faculty to listen sympathetically but not to lower their standards.



3. The faculty expect you to be concerned about how well you write, for they know that clear writing is associated with clear thinking. They also know how vital written communication is in today’s world. And they know, too, that people are judged by how well or poorly they express themselves in writing. Forall these reasons, they are concerned that their students be critical about the quality of their own writing. Is your writing as coherent as possible? Is it as precise as possible? Are the sentences clearly and coherently punctuated? Have you checked spelling before submitting a final draft? You will need lots of writing experience because you will have to be able to communicate effectively during your studies and in the professional world. If you are not communicating as effectively as you wish or need to, enroll in EDCP 101 or ENGL 101, 102, 291, or 393 as soon as possible. Writing skills are particularly important in distance education courses, since writing is the main form of communication in the course.



4. UMUC expects you to have a background in mathematics appropriate to the course you are taking, and to make use of your math skills in understanding the course material and doing relevant exercises.



5. UMUC faculty expect you to come to class. Because the essential points of the course are presented, explained, and discussed in the classroom, regular attendance is one of the most important keys to academic success. If you know that you will have to miss many classes, perhaps you had better wait until the following term to enroll. And when you miss a class, remember that you are still responsible for the material that was covered.



6. You are expected to read the current UMUC Asia Catalog and to understand its contents. The Catalog is the single most important source of information about UMUC Asia. It describes everything from financial aid to degree programs and course descriptions. UMUC advisors and administrators will be happy to answer any questions you may have about what the Catalog says.

If you are getting started in college, you should take courses that provide you with a solid background and fulfill basic requirements.

1. Start with English composition-a course such as EDCP 101 or ENGL 101. ENGL 101 is required in your first 12 semester hours, and you can't take upper-level courses unless you have completed ENGL 101. Good writing skills are essential for success in all other courses.



2. Take courses in mathematics and speech as early as you can in your college career. These courses also provide skills that help you in later work. For example, if you are interested in business courses, you will need mathematics.



3. Complete your General Education Requirements (GER). These give you a solid background for further study in all fields, and most colleges and universities have similar requirements. UMUC's GER areas for Associate and Baccalaureate degrees are: Communications (writing and speech); Social and Behavioral Sciences (for example, psychology, sociology, or government); Arts and Humanities (including history, literature and philosophy); Mathematics; and Natural Sciences. For Baccalaureate degrees, requirements in Emerging Issues (e.g., computer-related courses, courses with a historical and an international perspective) must also be fulfilled. See your UMUC Asia Catalog for a complete explanation of the General Education Requirements.



4. Get as much information about the University as you can from the Catalog and other publications, and from UMUC Asia faculty and staff. Let your teachers know if you have any special interests or problems or if you need their help in some way.



5. See an Academic Advisor early in your career to seek an evaluation of work applicable to a degree that you may already have completed within or outside of college. Advisors can answer any questions you may have about the UMUC curriculum.

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